Unfortunately, I will be having brain and spinal surgery in January. My horse is a green jumper, and I’m dot sure what to do with him. I will be unable to leave the house, let alone go to the barn, for at least one month. And then it’s six more months till I can ride. There is a lady her who could ride him if need be, but what other options do I have? I do not want to sell him, but could I send him to a trainer for the time or lease him? Should I just put him in the pasture?
Full Training/Board.
Lease Him.
Put him out to pasture.
Sell.
If he is young and you have the money, I would put him in full training with a trainer. I think you could get a lot of bang for you buck. Also, if for some reason you do need to sell, he will be more valuable as well.
He is already at a full board barn, so that’s already happening, I don’t own land,so it would be hard to put him to pasture, and unless it is really necessary I would prefer not to sell him, as he means a lot to me. Does anybody know of some good trainers that I could send him to? I live in Arkansas
You said in another thread you have a trainer, so why not have them ride your horse while you’re out? Also, is the horse 8 or 6? Your posts vary.
Sadly you live too far for me to take him on 
But I’d definitely send him to a trainer, with a specific list of things you want him to learn over the time you are taking off. That way, you know something productive is going on, they’ll get more experience and learn a few things you wanted him to know in the first place.
You could also find a young but experienced rider to take him on. Work out a deal for him/her to work with him and train him according to your directions but give them the latitude to compete with him on a low level.
This option would be cheaper than sending him to a trainer but still get what you need and help out a young aspiring rider to move forward in life. 
Make sure this is a rider you trust, or think is capable of handling your horse well.
Good luck on your horse and your surgery
Like I said above, there is a lady here that could ride him if need be. She is a good rider, but has a demanding job and could maybe ride him once a week. Arkansas is not known for a huge hunter/jumper community, so there is very few barns. I did hear about a barn in Heber Springs, though. Anyone know about one there?
[QUOTE=fishjumper;8315569]
Like I said above, there is a lady here that could ride him if need be. She is a good rider, but has a demanding job and could maybe ride him once a week. Arkansas is not known for a huge hunter/jumper community, so there is very few barns. I did hear about a barn in Heber Springs, though. Anyone know about one there?[/QUOTE]
Are you close to Heber? What is your approximate location? I know we have a few members here that are in the H/J scene in Arkansas and N. Texas! We also have some in TN, if that is closer to you.
I would do full training board or lease him. Good luck with your surgery.
I am in Central Arkansas if that helps, and JumpHigh, where are you?
I put my not green horse in training with my then coach when I broke my leg. He was there for about 4 months, and it was HIGHLY beneficial for him, as he turned out to be terribly anxiety ridden after our crash. It was also a huge peace of mind for me, as he had been under my direct care up until our fall, and I didn’t trust the management that came into that barn to replace me. Having him in a program I trusted, being ridden in a manner that I knew worked for him was one less HUGE stress for me while I healed. Particularly as I was only really able to see him once or twice a week.
He also got about a 6 week vacation between him leaving the trainer and me getting the all clear to ride…which was also good, as he came back VERY fit, and the last thing I needed was my already fractious horse to be fit, as well!
What is your approximate monthly budget for full training board? Would you send him out of state? That will help people make suggestions.
[QUOTE=fishjumper;8315860]
I am in Central Arkansas if that helps, and JumpHigh, where are you?[/QUOTE]
I’m in NJ. From what I’ve read from your other threads your horse has some potential. I’m sure you could find a capable rider to work with him during your time off. I don’t know if money is an issue but that would be cheaper than training board.
Where I am, I pay about 450 a month for board, and 320 a month for lessons. So I could probably afford about 600 at most, but what is the average cost? And I would be willing to send him out of state if I find a reputable place that I could afford and check out beforehand.
[QUOTE=fishjumper;8315860]
I am in Central Arkansas if that helps, and JumpHigh, where are you?[/QUOTE]
You could look in West TN (Memphis, Collierville, etc). Those will be about 3 1/2-ish hours from Little Rock (don’t know exactly where you are). However, board and training and a good barn will run you twice what you are willing to pay. The same goes with a barn in N. Texas, which would be a little farther of a drive if you want a barn in Dallas or around there.
In Arkansas, I was able to find these:
http://www.pinnaclevalleyfarm.com/
http://www.simmonsconsulting.com/Clients/FoxCreek/
http://www.midland-farm.com/
http://www.highlandfarmhorses.com/main.htm
http://www.salemequestrian.com/About_Us.html
http://www.arkansashunterjumper.com/trainers.html
I’m sure there are others around, but I’m not super familiar with the scene in Arkansas. I lived outside of Memphis, and I know there are very nice barns there with knowledgeable trainers. However, I now live in South Texas. If you updated this thread title with your location and possibly that you are looking for a barn within that location (or a little further), you might get some answers.
Average cost of boarding and training at a barn that attends some A/AA shows with a reputable trainer is low balling at $1000. That does not include any extra fees or showing (if you wanted).
No advice, but best wishes to you on your surgery and recovery.
[QUOTE=fishjumper;8316289]
Where I am, I pay about 450 a month for board, and 320 a month for lessons. So I could probably afford about 600 at most, but what is the average cost? And I would be willing to send him out of state if I find a reputable place that I could afford and check out beforehand.[/QUOTE]
Training board will run you at least double that. I know a place in N. Texas that has full board with rides/lessons included for $950/month, but they’re on the road so much that it can be 4-6 weeks at a time that your horse wouldn’t be ridden- unless you paid to have it go to horse shows.
Can your current trainer ride your horse?
I give up on this one. In one thread OPs trainer, who has trained riders up to GP and taken many clinics from GM, is trying to force her to use calmatives. In this one, there is nobody to ride her horse while she is laid up except some lady who has a demanding job and only rides one day a week. None of this matches much of the earlier information from the May thread, can’t even figure out how many shows horse has been to.
[QUOTE=findeight;8316951]
I give up on this one. In one thread OPs trainer, who has trained riders up to GP and taken many clinics from GM, is trying to force her to use calmatives. In this one, there is nobody to ride her horse while she is laid up except some lady who has a demanding job and only rides one day a week. None of this matches much of the earlier information from the May thread, can’t even figure out how many shows horse has been to.[/QUOTE]
Yup, or if the horse is 6 or 8…or if she’s owned him a few months or 4 years 
[QUOTE=roamingnome;8316956]
Yup, or if the horse is 6 or 8…or if she’s owned him a few months or 4 years [/QUOTE]
Why are you guys so nitpicky? He is 8 y/o, and I have known him for 4 years. Do you have to own the horse to know him? Jeez, it’s my fourth time on here. If COTH is this bad all the time, I might find another way to get peoples opinions. And the lady that could ride him has a demanding job, but she also has four horses of her own that show as well. He has been to two shows total, one was to sell him and not to compete. He has been to one real show where he was in classes. And if you read my posts, this is another trainer.
Nitpicky because the horse’s age and your term of ownership keeps changing, and advice given is skipped over (why can’t your current trainer ride the horse? that would be cheaper than sending him to NJ or to an unfamiliar training barn out of state).
I’m not the only one who remembered your 1.80 jumper who is very green and your GP trainer who never did the GPs… it’s all very confusing, and no once can give you solid advice if the horse/training/story keeps changing.
